Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with animal feed and/or water amendments, and corresponding methods, which are designed to reduce the amount of gaseous ammonia resulting from the decomposition of animal excrement (i.e., manure and urine). More particularly, the invention is concerned with such amendments comprising copolymer salts, e.g., maleic-itaconic copolymer salts, which can be added to animal feed and/or water. A variety of livestock animals may be treated using the invention, including poultry and mammals.
Description of the Prior Art
Ammonia is a common by-product of animal waste due to the often inefficient conversion of feed nitrogen into animal protein. Poultry are often fed high-protein diets, which contain surplus nitrogen in order to assure that the animals' nutritional requirements are met. Nitrogen that is not metabolized into animal protein is secreted in the feces of poultry, where further microbial action release ammonia into the air during manure decomposition. In like manner, ruminants such as cattle are often fed non-protein nitrogen (NPN) as a part of their normal diets, and this can also exacerbate the problem of excess ammonia in cattle excrement.
Ammonia is typically considered an indoor air quality concern by animal producers, because the gas accumulates inside containment facilities such as poultry houses and cattle barns. Elevated levels of ammonia can have a negative impact on animal health and production, resulting in increased susceptibility to bacterial respiratory infection, decreased weight gains, and feed conversions.
Producers have adopted a number of strategies to lessen ammonia levels resulting from decomposition of animal manure and urine. Thus, it is known that a variety of treatments including aluminum sulfate (alum), ferrous sulfate, phosphoric acid, and other proprietary products may be sprayed or otherwise applied to poultry litter. Producers have also sought to minimize atmospheric ammonia in poultry containment facilities by manipulating poultry diets.
The usual strategy is to provide feeds which reduce the amount of nitrogen excreted by the poultry. For example, one dietary manipulation involves supplying poultry with the amino acid needed, including crystalline amino acids, instead of supply feed based primarily on crude protein content. Also, efforts have been made to add fermentable carbohydrates, such as bran or pulp, into grow-finishing diets. However, these efforts, while marginally reducing gaseous ammonia, have not fully answered the need to significantly ameliorate the ammonia problem.
Specialty Fertilizer Products, LLC, of Leawood, Kans. (SFP), has heretofore commercialized a series of maleic-itaconic copolymers principally for use with solid or liquid ammoniacal or phosphate fertilizers, such as urea or UAN fertilizers, in order to significantly increase the performance of the fertilizers as evidenced by increased yields.
These prior products include Nutrisphere-N® for Liquid Nitrogen Fertilizers, which is a partial calcium salt of a maleic-itaconic copolymer in water with a solids content of at least 30% w/w, and more preferably about 40% w/w. The copolymer is formulated using equimolar amounts of maleic and itaconic moieties. The final product has a pH of 1-2 and is a light brown to yellow viscous liquid.
Another such product is AVAILR® for Liquid Phosphate Fertilizers, which is a partial ammonium salt of a maleic-itaconic copolymer in water with a solids content of at least 30% w/w, and more preferably about 40% w/w. The copolymer is formulated using equimolar amounts of maleic and itaconic moieties. The final product has a pH of about 2 and is also a light brown to yellow viscous liquid.
SFP has also previously commercialized a manure nutrient manager product under the trademarks More Than Manure® or MTM®, which is primarily designed to reduce phosphorous lock-up and nitrogen loss when applied to manure in an open-air pit or lagoon, or directly onto litter after field application of the litter. MTM® is an aqueous mixture made up of two-thirds by volume Nutrisphere-N® for Liquid Nitrogen Fertilizers and one-third by volume of AVAIL® for Liquid Phosphate Fertilizers, having a solids content of from about 30-60% w/w, a pH of about 3 and a specific gravity of from about 1.1-1.4. Other benefits of the MTM® product include increased crop rotation flexibility, biodegradability, and reduction of manure solids. In such prior uses of MTM®, no odor-reduction studies were conducted, but numerous MTM® users expressed the opinion of a notable reduction of odor from the use of the product.